No Drama

 

"If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present." 

 ~Lao Tzu

 It has been awhile since I have posted anything new and I have been thinking  it’s about time that I do.  Then I found this quote by Lao Tzu and recognized that it is a good reflection of how I have been feeling lately.  When I first  read it, I realized that I have been living in the present recently.  Lao Tzu’s thought explains  why I haven’t been compelled to write lately and it brought me to the conclusion it is because there has been no drama in my life of late and I am at peace. 

No drama is a good thing and I am getting used to the idea of feeling pretty normal except for energy and stamina.  I find myself going for long periods in the day without thinking about my illness or dwelling on all that has happened since that day in December of 2009 when I was sent to the hospital because of a pleural effusion.    I haven’t spent as much time online reading about multiple myeloma over the last couple of weeks and that has allowed me to keep it somewhere in the back of my mind.  One commenter to my blog made the point that it is like a Catch-22. Researching, reading and writing about multiple myeloma is helpful and cathartic, but at the same time, it tends to dominate one’s thinking.  I need to find a happy medium.

I have been feeling pretty well and my last appointment with my oncologist was routine with no surprises.  My creatinine was slightly elevated so we skipped the Zometa infusion for this month.  

Blood Counts

Component	Latest Ref Rng	4/11/12	3/14/12
WBC	4.5-10.0 K/uL	4.0 (L)	3.6 (L)
RBC	4.20-5.20 M/uL	3.13 (L)	3.31 (L)
Hgb	12.0-16.0 g/dL	11.1 (L)	11.6 (L)
Hct	37.0-47.0%	31.7 (L)	33.9 (L)
Platelet Count	150-450 K/uL	183	181
Absolute Neutrophils	1.5-8.0 K/uL	2.4	2.3
Kappa Light Chain	3.3-19.4 mg/L		10.1
Lambda Light Chain	5.7-26.3 mg/L		13.06
Kappa/Lambda	0.26-1.65 ratio		0.77
Creatinine	0.60-1.40 mg/dL	1.50 (H)	1.30

The only real drama in my life right now can be found in the pages of The Hunger Games Trilogy. I have read Book 1, The Hunger Games and my daughter and I saw the movie.  We loved the book and the movie which was a faithful rendition of the story.   I have also read Book 2, Catching Fire and Book 3, Mockingjay.  This trilogy is a compelling story that did a good job of keeping my mind off my own story and I recommend it if you haven’t already read it.  

Next week, I will begin a series of Survivorship seminars at Providence Regional Cancer Partnership in Everett, WA.  The seminars will cover such topics as:

• The Emotional Impact of Cancer

• Healthy Choices and Self-Care

• Finding Hope, Meaning and the New You 

• Managing Late effects 
• New Priorities and Living with  Uncertainty 

I’ll be back in that Catch-22.  The topics will be worthwhile and helpful, but I may be immersing myself  in my diagnosis again. I think I will try to rely on Lao Tzu’s wisdom.